I had the privilege of spending the entire day before Thanksgiving with OregganO and Cream of Tartar, helping them get ready for a large holiday dinner party. I had to leave for an hour or two, to tend to some dinner plans of my own, and as I was just getting ready to go back to their house (translation: was in line at the liquor store), I received a text message from OregganO, “Cream of Tartar has a redneck invention he is dying to show you.”
We (Diggler and MiniMe had now joined in the festivities) arrived to find several towels over what appeared to be a cardboard box. I asked if I could remove the towels and Cream of Tartar told me I must first try and guess what it was. Foregoing the obvious (cardboard box), I guessed large house for a mouse or a turkey cage. The latter was close, but not the answer. After several more guesses, we unveiled the redneck invention, “It’s an insulator for the smoked turkey,” Cream of Tartar proudly announced. “Wow,” I said. “I am proper impressed with your skills. How did you come up with this concept?” “I just did, I’m smart like that,” he replied. “Do you think it will catch fire?” Diggler asked. “Only if we light it,” Cream of Tartar replied.
All of this turkey talk got me thinking and I shared my thoughts with everyone, “Sometimes I wish I was a turkey, so I could get stuffed.” The response I got was mixed and, feeling a bit like I needed to defend my comments, I added, “Don’t knock it. Just as I have a dream of being a turkey I am sure there are plenty of people out there wishing they were stuffing.”
As we continued to share our hopes and dreams with each other, we made an observation about Cream of Tartar. He has a tendency to do his own thing in other areas of the house. all the while remaining a part of our conversations. “Hey, hey where’s the meatloaf?” MiniMe shouted out. “What is he doing back there?” Diggler added. And a slight giggle is heard from the back of the house. I guess Cream of Tartar has seen Wedding Crashers.
A few minutes later, OregganO went to refresh her drink and got a glimpse of what Cream of Tartar was doing. “BurgerBoy, you’re in charge now, Cream of Tartar is journaling.” “I really am,” Cream of Tartar piped in. “He really is,” BurgerBoy confirmed. “What are you journaling?” I asked. “Day, time, weather, mood, moon. It’s my fishing journal,” Cream of Tartar shared with pride.
BurgerBoy was incredbly hungry and kept inquiring about food, “Where do you keep all of your premade food for when you have guests? Don’t you have anything for a burger? I just want a burger.” OregganO made us popcorn and decided to put some Parmesan flavorings on it (one of the mixes we had made several nights prior). In order to mix it up, she did the typewriter (thank you MC Hammer). It was even more impressive when she did the typewriter with wine in her hands.
With so much goodness in our minds (insulator, typewriter dance) and so much warmth in our bellies (wine, beer, whiskey, Parmesan popcorn), we decided to call it a night. “Come back tomorrow morning for Bloody Marys and coffee,” Cream of Tartar suggested as we were leaving. “What a great idea,” I stated. “I know,” he smuggly replied, “it was mine.”